“I find it very strange.” Liang Yanbei’s answer could be said to be very serious.
Monsters appeared for no reason, and so many people saw them too. It stood to reason that an uproar should have spread all over the city. But when they came out that night, they didn’t hear anyone talking about it at all.
It was as if that didn’t happen at all.
“Could it be that the monster used demonic methods to make them all forget about it?” He made a guess.
“It may also be that those two cultivators of immortality today secretly used some magic.” Wen Chan also guessed.
“But could the demon’s methods really be so powerful?” There were a lot of people around at that time.
“I don’t know.”
The two people who didn’t know anything guessed blindly for a while and gave up on the issue after some time.
While discussing, the two came to a stop at the alley’s entrance. Behind the streets on both sides were various alleys of varying lengths. Although there were many, they were not deep.
“With so many roads, where should we go?” Wen Chan looked left, right, up, and down. But he couldn’t figure it out. It was as if every road looked like the alley where Wu Qi lived.
“Let’s stand higher and take a look.” Liang Yanbei pointed to the roof and said, “I’ll take you up.”
Wen Chan thought that this was a good idea. So he stretched out an arm and motioned for Liang Yanbei to take it.
He glanced down at him and asked with a smile, “Do you really think that I’m a Daoist immortal or something? Do you think I can fly up carrying you?”
As he spoke, he lowered one shoulder, lowered himself to the level of Wen Chan, and patted his shoulder, “Hurry and hold onto me.”
Wen Chan immediately retracted his arm and wanted to refute.
Liang Yanbei thought: It’s not up to you.
He did quite quickly, grab Wen Chan’s arm, hang it around his neck, and circle his waist with his other hand.
Wen Chan felt his eyes blur. And when his vision became clear again, he was standing firmly on the roof. He was very close to Liang Yanbei, and his collarbone was right in front of him.
The smell of noodles that still lingered on his body came to his nose. It was obviously not a charming aroma, but it too made Wen Chan’s heart beat wildly.
Liang Yanbei quickly released him without making any unnecessary movements.
Wen Chan wanted to jump up and give him a hammer1
. But seeing that he was all business, he couldn’t say anything. So he just gritted his teeth and endured it.
He didn’t want Liang Yanbei to always touch him or do overly intimate actions, because he was afraid that the restraint he had always been proud of would be wiped out to the point of collapsing.
Once he loses his restraint, Wen Chan thinks, maybe he will become a madman.
“Look.” Liang Yanbei suddenly said, interrupting his thoughts, “Most people have gone out, and only a few people are still at their homes.”
Wen Chan turned his attention and looked at them in response. Sure enough, he could see them far away from where he stood. Several alleys in the surrounding area were within his sight, and he could only see a few houses with candle lights on.
If Wu Qi had returned to his house, he would have definitely lit up the lights. So he directly excluded those that were dark.
“I saw him walking east after leaving the store. So we will check the stores eastward from the jade hairpin store.” Liang Yanbei pointed with his hand and marked out a range.
After speaking, he opened his arms and said, “Come on, Young Master Wen. Let’s get down.”
“Stop deceiving me!” Wen Chan refused to cooperate.
Who didn’t know that Liang Yanbei was born with the power of a god? In his previous life, Liang Yanbei often grabbed his arm and flew around. At that time, Wen Chan was much taller and heavier than he is now, but Liang Yanbei felt no pressure at all.
Liang Yanbei asked very innocently, “When did I deceive you?”
Naturally, Wen Chan would not bring up what happened in his previous life to testify. So he could only make a casual excuse, “I heard others say that you are very powerful.”
Liang Yanbei was between laughter and tears, “Who did you listen to? I can’t lift anything with my hands or shoulders, and I normally never do heavy work. So who can say that I am extremely strong?”
Wasn’t that just pure nonsense? Which person who couldn’t lift anything with their hands or shoulders would kick someone so hard that their nose and mouth would bleed, causing them to faint immediately?
Wen Chan was both annoyed and amused at the same time, “Can you correct your problem of talking nonsense?”
Liang Yanbei was actually not a person who liked to talk nonsense, but he made an exception for people he was very familiar with. Wen Chan only discovered this after being fooled many times.
It’s just that he felt it to be very strange. According to their current relationship, they were ordinary friends at most. How could they be considered quite familiar with each other at this level?
Seeing that he was angry, Liang Yanbei immediately took out a worthless oath again2He said this is chapter 45 too, remember?, “I promise this is the last time I talk nonsense in my life.”
“Do you think I will believe it?” Wen Chan couldn’t help but want to laugh.
Wen Chan remembered that once in his previous life, Liang Yanbei ate white rice and scattered it all over the table, following which he said a few words casually. There were many soldiers eating together at that time, and Liang Yanbei, without the slightest care, said to him solemnly, “This is the last time I eat white rice.”
He had long been accustomed to Liang Yanbei’s babbling nonsense, but the soldiers took it seriously, and they had noodles for three days in a row. Liang Yanbei was very unhappy with the meal and brought up the military chef to question him. The military chef asked him in confusion, “Didn’t you, General, say that you would never eat white rice again?”
In order to prevent the soldiers from feeling that their General was an untrustworthy person, Liang Yanbei forced himself to eat noodles for half a month. And finally, he couldn’t hold on anymore and asked Wen Chan to step in. And only then could he get rid of the nightmare of eating noodles.
Thinking about it, Wen Chan really laughed out loud.
Seeing that he seemed to be thinking of something happy, Liang Yanbei also smiled but didn’t ask. He then pointed downwards and deliberately lowered his voice to ask, “Look if that is Wu Qi!”
When Wen Chan heard about this serious matter, he quickly lowered his head and looked down, only to see that the streets and courtyards below were all empty, “Where is he?”
But before his voice fell, he felt his body tighten. He was hugged by two arms, his face was gently pressed against Liang Yanbei’s exposed collarbone, and there was air under his feet.
Wen Chan subconsciously hugged Liang Yanbei’s waist tightly.
It was so warm…… But he was like a timid sheep. Even if he got something he had always dreamed of, he only dared to treat it with caution.
When Wen Chan was about to die in his previous life, he dared to ask Liang Yanbei for a hug, but the hug only made him feel extremely bitter. It was not as sweet as it was at this moment.
After landing, Liang Yanbei relaxed his hold on his hand. He originally thought that he would be pushed away immediately, but unexpectedly, the hand around his waist never moved.
He raised his eyebrows in surprise, looked down at the person who only reached his collarbone, and was burying his head slightly in his chest.
His eyes curled with a smile. And just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt a slight pain on his left collarbone. The next moment, the person in his arms left, took a few steps back, and stood in front of him.
Liang Yanbei raised his hand and touched there, feeling that a little moisture still remained in that place. Only then did he realize that he had been bitten by Wen Chan’s little fangs.
His heart suddenly skipped a beat, and Liang Yanbei felt that this bite was on the tip of his heart. Not only was it not painful, but it was also a little ticklish. He stared straight at Wen Chan.
“You asked for this.” Wen Chan snorted guiltily.
He also regretted his impulsive behavior just now. But he was not at all afraid of Liang Yanbei sending punitive forces against him, even though he could not defeat Liang Yanbei.
Not only did Liang Yanbei not have the idea of questioning his way of reasoning, but he also felt that what he said made sense. So he retracted his gaze, glanced at the houses with the candlelight on, and said softly, “Let’s go and have a look.”
The two of them were standing in front of someone else’s window at this time. Yellow light was shining through the window, and faint voices were transmitted outward.
They tiptoed close to the window quietly and heard someone whispering in the room. They could only tell that there was a man and a woman.
Wen Chan stretched out a finger and wanted to quietly dig out a hole to look3Aren’t you being a bit too experienced at this?, but was stopped by Liang Yanbei.
He saw him take out a fire stick, and without blowing the flame, he poked the window with it, and a hole immediately burned out. After that, he burned another one at a distance.
The meaning behind it was obvious: One for you and one for me.
Wen Chan looked in through the hole and saw a woman in her forties embroidering something under the candlelight. Next to her sat a man of about the same age, knitting straw sandals.
It seemed that they were just ordinary people.
Wen Chan reached out and tugged on Liang Yanbei’s sleeve and whispered in his ear, “It shouldn’t be here. Let’s find another house.”
Liang Yanbei only felt the hot breath rushing to his ears and a sound as subtle as a cat’s purr hovering over his ears as if giving colour to his ears.
He glanced sideways at Wen Chan, and a lingering smile appeared on his brows inadvertently, “No need.”
The glimmer in his eyes made Wen Chan’s heart skip a beat. But before he could ask ‘why’, he saw his figure move, and he walked to the door in two steps, reaching out to knock on the door.
Wen Chan was startled by his action but soon understood his intention.
Compared to peeking at each house, it was indeed much easier to ask directly.
After the door rang a few times, the man inside opened it and took a look at Liang Yanbei and Wen Chan. Seeing that they were outstanding in appearance and exquisitely dressed, his tone couldn’t help but be more cautious, “What do you want?”
“Has this elder brother seen a man who is about thirty years old and a young and beautiful girl, who are from the capital, and just came here a few days ago.” Liang Yanbei asked concisely and clearly.
The man thought for a while and said, “There is indeed a man from the capital who came here not long ago. But he is alone and there is no beautiful girl around him.”
After hearing this, Wen Chan’s eyes lit up. They have found him!
Liang Yanbei remained calm, “I think it must be him. Brother, can you tell me where this person lives?”
“Just go down this alley, and it’s the house at the end.” And the man reminded kindly, “He may not like to communicate with others……”
“Thank you.” Liang Yanbei cupped his fist to thank him.
The man responded casually, then closed the door and went back to his business.
Wen Chan heard the woman in the house ask her man a few questions. After a few quick words, the two began to work again. Liang Yanbei took out a piece of broken silver from his sleeve, quietly stuffed it in through the small hole in the window, and put it on the window frame.
Then he turned around and raised his eyebrows at Wen Chan, who followed suit knowingly.
“I remember that house at the end……” Wen Chan hesitated.
“Yes.” Liang Yanbei responded, “There was no light.”
Since the lights were not lit, it was very likely that Wu Qi had not returned or had already escaped.
Wen Chan hoped it was the former.
The two stopped in the deepest part of the alley. Liang Yanbei raised his hand and knocked on the door first, but there was no movement.
The two looked at each other, and Wen Chan saw a little predatory look in Liang Yanbei’s eyes, which was a prelude to him beating people up.
Immediately afterward, he raised his leg and kicked open the closed door, only to cause a huge explosion to be heard, which was especially loud in a secluded alley.
Liang Yanbei took the lead in stepping into the house, and as soon as he settled on his heel, a figure suddenly rushed from the side. With a flash of cold light, Wen Chan saw that the man was holding a long sword in his hand.
He was so frightened that he blurted out, “Be careful!”
The blade was heading straight for Liang Yanbei’s neck. The strike was so fierce that it brought up a strong gust of wind, and it was bound to take people’s lives with a single strike.
However, Liang Yanbei seemed to have been on alert for a long time. So he didn’t dodge or duck, but raised his hand and cut off the man’s arm before it touched his neck. He pressed his thumb upward hard, and there was a soft “click” sound before the screams broke out without warning.
The long sword fell with a clang, and Liang Yanbei closed his palm into a fist, hitting the man in the chest. With another cry of pain, the man’s body was sent flying out and slammed into the window.
Perhaps that person knew that he was no match for Liang Yanbei. So he endured the pain and rolled out of the window, trying to escape.
When Liang Yanbei saw that he was about to run away, his first reaction was not to chase him but to look back at Wen Chan.
Under the dim light and shadow, Wen Chan couldn’t see the expression on his face clearly, but he just said anxiously, “Hurry up and chase after him. Don’t let him run away!”
Liang Yanbei raised his hand and stuffed something into Wen Chan’s palm. He then said in a low voice, “I’ll be back soon.”
After saying that, he quickly jumped out of the window and chased after the person.
In an instant, the room became quiet. Wen Chan touched the thing in his hand in confusion and found, in the dim light, that it was the flame stick that Liang Yanbei had been carrying.
His heart warmed inexplicably, and a smile quietly appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Wen Chan opened the flame stick and blew it to ignite it. He found a candle with the light of a small flame and lit it, and the whole room lit up.
As soon as he put away the flame stick, he heard a slight noise.
Listening carefully, the ”thudding” sound came ringing non-stop, coming one after another.
Wen Chan picked up the candle and looked for the subtle sound. As he walked through the main hall and passed through the small courtyard, the sound gradually became louder.
He opened the door and stepped into the bedroom, only to find that the source of the sound was actually the bed.
Wen Chan placed the candle on the table and walked slowly to the side of the bed, but did not immediately check what was going on.
The sound was irregular as if it were getting slower and weaker. And then it stopped suddenly, and it was followed by a whimpering sound.
The voice seemed to be muffled by something, as it was dull and rough.
Wen Chan bent over and planned to lift the quilt off the bed.
“Young Master Wen!” A sudden shout came with urgency.
Wen Chan was so frightened that his hands shook, and then he heard that it was Liang Yanbei’s voice. He thought he might have come back after chasing the person and then became a little anxious when he didn’t see him. So, he responded, “I’m here!”
Right after he heard a burst of fast footsteps, Liang Yanbei stepped in through the door. His eyes moved around before it settled on Wen Chan, and then he sized him up and down.
Seeing him standing by the bed, he breathed a subtle sigh of relief, walked over slowly, and asked in a calm tone, “What are you doing here?”
Before Wen Chan could answer, the voice from under the bed acted for him, and called out in a whimper, and at the same time there was a “thudding” sound, which was louder than before.
“There’s someone down here.” Wen Chan pointed to the bed.
Liang Yanbei glanced at the bed warily, reached out and pulled Wen Chan back a few steps, then lifted up the quilt to reveal the bedboard.
Without the quilt pressing down, the loose bedboard was lifted up by the person below. Liang Yanbei immediately lifted the bedboard, and the person who was locked up was exposed.
They saw that her forehead was bruised, with just some scarlet blood remaining. Her hands and feet were tied, and her mouth was covered with a piece of cloth. Her head was covered with dense beads of sweat, and her eyes were staring at Liang Yanbei in horror and begging.
It was Jiang Yueying who had been missing for nearly a month.
Translator’s corner
Thank you so much for reading the chapter. If you liked my translation and wanna support me, you can comment down your thoughts or send me a Kofi.
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